What to do if your boiler breaks down – how to fix it yourself

HAVING YOUR boiler breakdown in the middle of winter is everyone’s worst nightmare, especially if you’re a busy family with children. But luckily there are things you can do to resolve the issue yourself.

British Gas is expecting a surge in call-outs at the start of New Year as people’s boilers and central heating systems begin to falter in the cold weather. While having your boiler malfunction can cause great stress to the household, there are often things you can do to try and resolve the issue yourself. Although a professional engineer should really be the one to take a look at serious issues, if it’s a simple blip with the system you may be able to repair it without having to call out an expert. With expert advice from a British Gas engineer, here’s what you can do to try and fix your boiler, if your boiler has these common issues:

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If the boiler is making a gurgling sound, it’s not firing up, or if it’s particularly cold outside it could all be down to the weather

Low pressure

If your boiler switches itself off, central heating is making a banging sound, or if any of your radiators stop heating – check the pressure gauge on the front of your control panel.

If it's less than one bar, carefully use your valve to increase it between one and 1.5. You may need to reset your boiler after to reset the system. To check how to do this, check your manufacturer’s guide.

Frozen condensate pipes

If the boiler is making a gurgling sound, it’s not firing up, and if it’s particularly cold outside the issues could all be down to the weather.

A frozen condensate pipe is a major cause of winter boiler breakdowns. Try thawing it yourself by applying warm, not hot, water.

Or, you could place a hot water bottle directly over the pipe

Boiler or thermostat settings

Another common issue is the boiler not coming on when it should or if it's switching on erratically – or it may not even fire up at all.

You may be able to fix your boiler without calling an engineer (Image: GETTY)

There may be a fault code on the display, meaning your settings might have changed. This could simply be down to a power cut or someone accidentally knocking the panel.

Before calling an engineer, double check everything is as it should be.

The engineer also advises you take a look at thermostat. If it’s below 21 degrees C, it might not fire up.

A common problem could also be the thermostat itself – the dial may simply need new batteries replacing.

Pilot light is out

The British Gas engineer explained: “Most modern boilers don’t have a pilot light but ones that do can blow out for all sorts of reasons.”

She warned: “If you can smell gas, notice the flame is more orangey than blue or that there are sooty marks around the boiler, don’t try ignite it. Turn the boiler off and call the emergency gas line.”